Water Splash First attempt

[digiman]

I have been inspired by Stans recent posts, and took advantage of a quiet house to give this a try. I know they are a bit rough around the edges, and require a lot more practice, but I thought it was worth posting a few shots, because we are all on a journey after all! I don't own a macro, so the focus was a challenge, and I have only one speedlight which has any manual control. A lot more thought to the backdrop is required also.



First Attempt at Water Splash by Garry Macdonald Photography, on Flickr


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/garry_macdonald/11442019256/

[digiman]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Given up trying to post images for now,

[colin C]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

I look forward to seeing them Gary.

[Stan]

Re: Water Splash First attempt



Here is one of them Gary. Interesting I could not post it from home but its worked OK from work - so is it a different computer or just the hour difference since I last tried

Anyway I reckon you have done very well bearing in mind it was all done manually and no electronic help

Stan

[digiman]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Thanks Stan for posting!
I really enjoyed it, it is so addictive though! For the drops, I used a squeezy ketchup bottle suspended from a tripod above a pyrex bowl. To control the flow of water a bit, I covered the opening of the bottle with a plastic bag, and then put the lid back on. I then pierced the bag through the top opening. Very primitive, but didn't cost a penny!

Thanks again,

Garry

[digiman]

Re: Water Splash First attempt


First Attempt at Water Splash by Garry Macdonald Photography, on Flickr

[Muscat]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Well done Garry great for first attempt I love the detail in the droplet of the second image. I look forward to seeing more.

[S_J_P]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Great shots Garry! It's highly addictive isn't it

The way that the water in the catch-tank and within the crown/tendril refracts and reflects the light is fascinating and can give some very unusual and bizarre effects where two different colours are employed.

If I might be so bold, here are a few tips I've come across along the way....

Your focus seems to be spot on which is a great start, I'm not sure how you focussed but a tip is to affix a pencil or skewer to the side of the catch-tank with BluTak and align its end with the point the drops are hitting the surface and then focus on that fixed point (using f/16 helps with depth of field too), then remove the pencil/skewer for the actual shots. Colin has a permanently attached arrangement with an adjustable skewer

With a single flash you can employ the services of a reflector (or even a sheet of foil) to give the effect of two 'guns, you can even colour each differently to get those contrasting colours.

As for backgrounds, something as basic as a desk-lamp can give some colour to the background. Backlit perspex works brilliantly, but using an A3 print of something bold and simple front-lit with a lamp can yield some interesting results. I did a series with a globe of the earth as a backdrop.

Water splashes and bubbles on the drop-tank (pyrex bowl) are a water-droppers enemy as they mar the horizon and surface. If you place your pyrex bowl on a oven-tray or other large shallow container then you can brim-fill the pyrex drop-tank which both eliminates the speckled horizon and allows you to scrape any surface bubbles off using the skewer you used for focussing earlier.

If you have access to Lightroom, Photoshop, or even DPP then cloning-out the superfluous droplets flying away from the crown can clean the images significantly, focussing attention more on the actual drop.

The main thing is to stock-up on batteries and try different things just to get a feel for what works for you. You'll see that each water-dropper seems to develop their own style which is unique and before long you'll be able to recognise each droppers work.

[Montana 5]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

These are great Gary, well done in giving it a go.

Doug.

[digiman]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Great shots Garry! It's highly addictive isn't it

The way that the water in the catch-tank and within the crown/tendril refracts and reflects the light is fascinating and can give some very unusual and bizarre effects where two different colours are employed.

If I might be so bold, here are a few tips I've come across along the way....

Your focus seems to be spot on which is a great start, I'm not sure how you focussed but a tip is to affix a pencil or skewer to the side of the catch-tank with BluTak and align its end with the point the drops are hitting the surface and then focus on that fixed point (using f/16 helps with depth of field too), then remove the pencil/skewer for the actual shots. Colin has a permanently attached arrangement with an adjustable skewer

With a single flash you can employ the services of a reflector (or even a sheet of foil) to give the effect of two 'guns, you can even colour each differently to get those contrasting colours.

As for backgrounds, something as basic as a desk-lamp can give some colour to the background. Backlit perspex works brilliantly, but using an A3 print of something bold and simple front-lit with a lamp can yield some interesting results. I did a series with a globe of the earth as a backdrop.

Water splashes and bubbles on the drop-tank (pyrex bowl) are a water-droppers enemy as they mar the horizon and surface. If you place your pyrex bowl on a oven-tray or other large shallow container then you can brim-fill the pyrex drop-tank which both eliminates the speckled horizon and allows you to scrape any surface bubbles off using the skewer you used for focussing earlier.

If you have access to Lightroom, Photoshop, or even DPP then cloning-out the superfluous droplets flying away from the crown can clean the images significantly, focussing attention more on the actual drop.

The main thing is to stock-up on batteries and try different things just to get a feel for what works for you. You'll see that each water-dropper seems to develop their own style which is unique and before long you'll be able to recognise each droppers work.

Cheers Steve. You can always feel free to be bold with any of my images Focusing was done by using a potato masher positioned under the drop site! Your method makes more sense! I thought of using a higher f stop, but thought that it would take in too much of the background.

I used white mount card for the background, but hadn't thought of adding foil. Great idea.

Thanks again for your in depth input, much appreciated,

Garry

[digiman]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Cheers Doug, always up for a challenge!

[paul linton]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Well done Garry.
We all have to start somewhere, it won't be long before you master the technique and give Stan and Colin a run for their money.

Paul

[digiman]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Cheers Paul. Not sure about giving the 'masters' anything to worry about though!

[colin C]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

They were worth waiting for, you have really done well for a first attempt.

[AlexR!]

Re: Water Splash First attempt

Garry, can't offer you any advice I'm afraid because I've never tried anything like this, but I have to say that I'm astonished by how good your results are for a first attempt, particularly #2